Despite having yet to tackle the historical mountain of AP United States History (APUSH), I’ve taken many history tests in my life. Over time, through many tears cried over seemingly endless pages of notes, I’ve found three foolproof techniques to study for any history test, quiz, or exam. By turning notes into a study guide or set of flashcards, summarizing dates into a timeline, and spending hours on a single Quizlet, my anxiety surrounding history tests has begun to lessen.
These are the best ways to study for any historical assessment.
Summarize notes into usable study materials
In most history classes, teachers provide an overwhelming amount of notes, but most tests don’t include all of that information. With dates, names, and locations dominating dozens of pages of notes, it’s especially important to break down information into a structure that makes it more manageable to digest.
Whether it’s flashcards, a study guide, or a visual representation, summarizing notes and indigestible lecture material into a comprehensible guide is key to success on history tests.
For me, making my own flashcards with a printable template is the most helpful way to identify the key topics to study. By writing by hand, you gain muscle memory, and it helps you retain information better while still having a guide if you choose to find printable flashcards or use notecards.
Utilize timelines
For history tests, it’s crucial to understand when certain events occurred in history and when they occurred in relation to other events. Some teachers may provide timelines, but many don’t, and crafting your own timeline is important to understand cause-and-effect relationships. Either making one on paper or using online resources such as ChronoFlo Ancient History Timeline or TimeMap to make an online timeline can be extremely helpful.
Cause and effect exist in history regardless of the time period, so a broad understanding of dates and concurrent events is imperative for history tests. Creating a timeline is a great way to summarize events chronologically and identify the order of historical events occurring in a unit.
Use online review websites
Chances are, no matter what region or time period you’re studying, there’s an online review for it. Sites such as Kahoot, Gimket, and my personal favorite, Quizlet, have numerous online quizzes and flashcards that are often free of charge. Many flashcard sets are extremely specific to units, especially for AP history classes. These are a great way to test knowledge or run through a practice test before taking the real thing.
Most of the time, there are numerous practice guides for history units, and you can always make your own if that fails. Some teachers will provide practice Quizlets or Kahoots that you can keep trying until you feel confident in your knowledge of history.
Overall, any one of these study methods will guarantee success on history tests and quizzes if paired with determination and enough time. History tests can often seem overwhelming with the amount of information teachers seem to expect you to learn, but breaking down notes into flashcards or using online resources are sure to help anyone bring their history grade up.
